Visiting a breast clinic

If your GP refers you to a breast cancer clinic you will have a series of tests known as triple assessment. This involves a physical examination, breast imaging and a biopsy. You should know the results within a week.

Breast imaging will involve either a mammogram or ultrasound. The best method of imaging will depend on your age and physical characteristics. You may even have both.

This is an x-ray of your breast tissue. You’ll have one or two x-rays of each breast taken in the same way that women attending the NHS Breast Screening Programme have.

If you’re under 35 you’ll probably be scanned using ultrasound as this method provides better images of a younger woman’s breasts - which tend to be denser. Ultrasound scans create a picture of your breast using sound waves.

Ultrasound is particularly useful for telling the difference between a solid lump and a cyst and can also be used for predicting the size of a tumour.

The final stage of the triple assessment is a biopsy. This is usually the only way to tell if a change in your breast is benign or cancerous.

With a biopsy, a sample of your breast tissue is removed and examined under a microscope.

The standard method is core biopsy where a small amount of tissue is removed with a needle. This is done under local anaesthetic.

Also common is fine needle aspiration (FNA), the easiest and quickest biopsy technique. A sample of cells is taken from the lump using a fine needle and syringe. This is an out-patient procedure and takes about 10 minutes.

Other methods include excision biopsy and wire assisted biopsy. Your doctor will recommend the most suitable type of biopsy for you.